Home
by CursiveBlade13
Summary: When they had been brought back from the Shadows, Kek and Touzoku dealt with their sickness. Bakura thought he had escaped the worst of it, but when a sudden cold knocks him off his feet, he finds himself in a position that drags up pain from his past. (For YGO Mini Fic Exchange on AO3)


The laughter bouncing back down the sidewalk from the two men ahead, reaching Bakura's ears was a comfort, in its own way. It hadn't been all that long since the three of them had been spat back out from the Shadows and onto Ryou's living room floor; Malik's other half, the body of the Thief King, and the Spirit of the Ring.

Ryou often liked to joke about it, that the Shadows had given him a buy two, get one free special when he had been summoning the Bakura and Malik's other half back into the world. Ryou had used a scrap of cloak that had been salvaged through excavation of Kul Elna and his own blood, plus some of Malik's blood (though that had been acquired through…less than transparent means…)

The spell was only supposed to summon the two intended spirits back, but instead had summoned three of them. The only reason Ryou could figure, after copious amounts of research into the magic and spells, was that the Spirit and the Thief King had become two separate people with Zorc's influence in the Ring. Using the cloak had snatched the Thief King's soul, but Ryou's blood had called out to the Spirit.

Regardless, the three men had found themselves back in the world of the living. And why had Ryou summoned them, five years after the Ceremonial Duel? Gaming, of course. Never because he missed the sardonic spirit or the slightly murderous other half.

Despite his best efforts, and the success of the spell, it had been a hard road for the four of them. As soon as they had all gotten used to the idea of being alive again, Malik's other half and the Thief King had fallen ill, their new bodies built with no immunities or immunizations to any of the current illnesses in the world. The Spirit, having a form of Ryou's body and thereby his immunizations, came out relatively unscathed.

It had taken some quick thinking on Ryou's part (and his hacking skills) to fabricate identifications for all three of the newly resurrected men in order to take them to the hospital. The next few weeks had been full of shots and tests before the two men were released, signed off as healthy and vaccinated, much to Ryou's relief.

Despite the minor speed bump, everything seemed to pan out. For a few months, the four of them crammed into Ryou's small apartment, trying to handle life. Malik's other half took on the name Kek, and the Thief, unable to remember his real name, took on the name of Touzoku.

Once the three spirits turned human had finally gotten their feet on the ground and made identities for themselves, they began to work. It rubbed them all the wrong way, to take advantage of Ryou's kindness after all he had done and risked for them.

They gathered their incomes from their various jobs and found an apartment near Ryou's in a slightly more rundown part of town. It was close enough to visit Ryou, but far enough away that it became their own space, their own home, though none of them dared utter the word.

Home. Something that all three of them needed. And despite their natures being ones of isolation, the three of them clung to one another. After all, who else could ever understand everything they had been through, except each other?

The laughter flitted down the street once again and Bakura was pulled from his thoughts with a small smirk. Strange, how that laughter had changed. Years ago, all of their laughter had been laced with darkness, like a knife creeping from the shadows to slit your throat without hesitation. Now, there were threads of warmth in it. None of them were fully human, not yet, but neither were they beings of darkness and evil anymore. After all, the time of fighting was done; they had been given a second chance, a new life, and none of them wanted to waste it.

"Bakura, stop lagging behind," Kek called out down the sidewalk, the bags from their grocery store trip swinging from his hands as he turned around. Touzoku smirked, turning to face Bakura before rolling his eyes and scoffing.

"You don't even have the heavy stuff! C'mon keep up," he teased before turning back to continue walking back to the apartment. Kek chuckled and followed suit as Bakura scowled and grumbled, trying to pick up the pace.

He _had_ been a bit sluggish all day, and Bakura couldn't figure out why. Perhaps it was the weather? The chill of oncoming winter had suddenly swept over the city without warning. Maybe he should invest in a heavier coat with his next paycheck.

But despite the cold, he was actually rather warm. Beneath his coat and scarf, his skin was flushed. As he looked ahead to Kek and Touzoku, Bakura felt his vision swim for a brief moment, legs shaky. Bakura wondered if he should make the other two carry the bags he held.

As he opened his mouth to call out to them, it was like someone had knocked his legs out from under him. Pain flared across his shoulder and for a moment, confusion crossed over his mind. After a few seconds, Bakura realised he had crashed into the wall of a nearby building.

It took a few seconds until Touzoku looked back, groaning as he saw Bakura leaning against the building.

"Oh come _on_, Bakura! They aren't that heavy! We need to get your stamina built up. Come work out with me and Kek sometime! We will put some muscle on that skinny ass body."

He watched the pale man, waiting for a normal snarky response. When he didn't receive any, Touzoku frowned and grabbed Kek's arm, forcing the taller man to stop.

"What is it-"

"Something's wrong," Touzoku interrupted, turning back to head to Bakura. Kek's brows furrowed before he too headed back to Bakura. As the two men got closer, they saw how flushed Bakura was and worry spiked in their chests.

"Bakura? Are you okay," Kek asked gently, a tone he reserved for Bakura and Touzoku only. The white haired man didn't answer immediately, but when he did, his voice was quiet.

"I don't…feel good…"

It was the only warning they had before he began to slide down the wall, eyes fluttering shut. Touzoku swore and Kek managed to catch Bakura before his body slumped to the sidewalk. As he held Bakura in his arms, the amount of heat pouring off of his body was worrying and Kek looked up to Touzoku with wide eyes.

"Call Ryou. Have him meet us at the apartment. Now."

* * *

"100.5 F. Yep, you have a cold," Ryou said as he pulled back the thermometer, looking at the digits on the display. Bakura looked miserable, tucked under layers of blankets in his bed as sweat shone across his skin.

"A cold? Seriously? I thought we passed all the sickness shit months ago when we came back," Bakura said, his voice a bit raspier than he wanted.

"Kek and Touzoku got vaccinated and such, but you didn't. When was the last time you got your flu shot? Took vitamins? Anything for your health," Ryou asked, cocking a brow over his eye as he placed the hand not holding the thermometer on his hip.

"I don't need that shit. You're the one who said I share your body and it's immunities and shit."

"Well of course, but that doesn't mean you can be stupid, Bakura. I still get my flu shot, I still take vitamins. Just because my body is used to modern illnesses doesn't mean it's still not at risk of sickness."

Bakura opened his mouth to argue, but a cough burst through his lips and when the fit had passed, he groaned.

"This fucking sucks."

Ryou chuckled at the pouting expression on Bakura's face and gently patted the other on his head. Such an action would have been met with bodily harm years ago, but the Bakura of now was harmless and the worst he managed were some muttering swears under his breath.

"Don't patronise me," Bakura growled, glaring up at Ryou, who looked too amused at Bakura's current state. Before he could reply, a sound from the door made him turn and he smiled as the worried faces of Kek and Touzoku filled the doorway.

"Is he okay?"

"Does he need the hospital?"

"Should we call a doctor here?"

"Calm down you two," Ryou called out, cutting off their words as he shook his head. "He has a cold, that's it. He's not dying, he just needs rest. So, make sure he stays hydrated, try to get him to eat, and make sure he takes the medicine I brought."

Ryou pointed to the bag he had dumped on the floor when the two worrywarts had ushered him towards the bedroom.

"If his temperature gets any worse, then take him to the doctor. And if you guys need anything, call me. Just make sure he rests. Bakura, call out of work tomorrow, at least. If you're not feeling well the day after, then call out then too."

"I'm not an invalid," came Bakura's voice as he peered out from beneath the blankets, his pout on full display. But the three others in the room ignored him as Ryou gathered his coat.

"I can swing by before work tomorrow to check on him so that you guys can go to work without worry," Ryou continued as if Bakura hadn't spoken before moving past Kek and Touzoku.

"I'm heading out now. You guys have this. I'll see you later, and I'll text you so we can set up another campaign soon!"

With a wave, he went as quickly as he came, leaving Kek and Touzoku to hover over Bakura's bed in worry. After a few moments of silence, Kek sighed and sat on the edge of the bed before looking over Bakura.

"You idiot, why didn't you tell us you were feeling like shit? We wouldn't have made you come out shopping with us."

Bakura looked up into those lavender eyes, burning with an intensity that made him shiver for a moment before looking away.

"I…I don't know. I didn't really think. I…"

It was hard to speak, even to his two housemates. Saying the words he wanted felt like an admission of defeat and part of him rebelled against the feeling. But, deep down, Bakura knew that Kek and Touzoku wouldn't judge him. There was a pause before he forced the words out.

"I am not used to sharing weakness with others. I've spent so long trying to strengthen myself, to pound out every ounce of weakness until nothing but strength and hatred survived. In the end, it destroyed me and now…hell, I don't know how to live. The only constant is to hide that weakness. Showing any weakness is a sure way to get betrayed or killed."

"You know that's not the way it is…not now," Touzoku said, though the pain in his tone was more than enough proof that their shared past weighed on both of them.

"I know it's not. But habit's a bitch," Bakura said, smirking at the two men. But, it didn't reach his eyes. There was still a dark pain in them that they all knew would take years and years to heal.

Seeing it, Touzoku climbed onto the bed without thinking, curling against Bakura's side as he wrapped an arm over the sick man's swaddled form.

The sudden closeness made Bakura stiffen for a moment, unable to process the comfort. When he was finally able to relax, he exhaled heavily before closing his eyes.

"What, too cold? Need to snuggle up to me while I'm a walking heater?"

Making a joke out of it was the only way they could admit that they both needed the touch, the comfort. And Touzoku understood, laughing as he squeezed Bakura a bit tighter, snuggling his face against the other's burning neck.

"Of course. We can save tons on the heating bill with you like this."

Neither of them had had this growing up. They had survived on their own. When they had been sick, they sweated and screamed out into the desert air. When they had been injured, they bit on a wooden bit as they roughly scrubbed at the wound and sewed it up with shaky hands. And when they had been lonely, they forced tears away until only cold resolve remained.

But the hug, the presence pressed against his side…Bakura smiled, a small weight lifted from his chest as Touzoku cuddled him. He hadn't been hugged by anyone in a very long time, and the action was more healing than any medicine.

After a few moments, Kek shrugged off his shirt and looked down at the other two.

"Move over, I want in on this heat pile," he said as he flopped down on Bakura's other side with a wild grin. He slung an arm over Bakura as well until the three of them became a nest of limbs and warmth. A sudden thought struck Bakura.

Home…this was what home felt like. It wasn't a building, it wasn't a place…it was a feeling. It was this tenderness. Home was with people that you cared about, and that cared about you.

A comfortable silence fell over the three of them as they lay there. The nice thing about them and their shared trauma was that sometimes, silence spoke volumes more than words. And actions spoke to their core.

It was a while later when Bakura finally broke the silence. His voice was quiet, but he knew that the men sandwiched around him heard him.

"Thank you."

There was no response, but the tightening of the arms around him made him smile.

Home.


End file.
